Fleas. Imaginary or not - how to treat

[busymum01]

Just a quick question as a first time dog owner - is there a flea preventative treatment out there? (I've Googled to my eyeballs and am quite overwhelmed by all the information on all kinds of brands and treatments.)

 

My 4 month golden pup has been biting at his tail, and back legs but as far as I can see, there's no evidence of flea bodies or dust. He's up to date on worming tablets, so either there's something there and I'm missing it or he's just having an itch. Anyways, I thought maybe a flea preventative would be good to cover either scenario, but tell me, what do I order!?

 

TIA, A Nervous Nelly

[_PL_]

I see by your photo that he is sitting on grass ;) do you think it may be a grass allergy? Have you found some redness or some redness or tiny itchybites? In dogs that have very mild seasonal allergy you can use an anti allergy like telfast if they are really bothered, I have the dosage sheet here somewhere. 

Or, you have a flea or two living on someone like a cat, or in a kennel. When there's just a few they spend less time on the dog than they do in the environs. 

Edit; yes there's so many flea preventatives out there but I'd go for one of the less modern ones (eg Bravecto) and try Advantage. But if there's no fleas you're better off leaving the chemicals in the cupboard.  

Edited March 30, 2017 by Powerlegs
adding extras.

[jemappelle]

I find Comfortis is best for fleas but I once had a vet tell me that dogs often bite around their back end because their anal glands are bothering them.

[persephone]

If there are no fleas, he may have some pain, which many dogs try & relieve by chewing. 

[busymum01]

Thanks all, I'll have a better look tonight while I brush him. The weekend could be good for dog and bedding baths!

 

[Kazm]

I find comfortis to be an excellent product. If my girls start to scratch more than they should I generally have a quick look for the offending fleas but never see any but I pop them a pill anyway and they seem to stop pretty much straight away. We have a cat that may share her little friends.

I'm not a fan of the flea liquids like advantage etc as they really need to be used consistently where as the comfortis tablets can be used whenever the occasion arises.

[Rebanne]

I just use a spot on occasionally, usually Advantage. Capstar is good at killing any flea actually on the dog at the time the tablet is given. I usually treat for fleas 2 or 3 times over the warmer months whether I see them or not.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Rebanne

[Scrappi&Monty]

Scrappi is allergic to fleas and what we thought was grass allergies turned out to be bad allergies to flea saliva. We checked frequently and never saw a flea on him and the vet said she couldn't find any, just a tiny bit of flea dirt, but we started using advantage and it helped clear it up (+ coconut oil and baths to fix where he scratched himself)  They sometimes just catch a flea and it bites them then jumps off and if they are allergic to the saliva they will have bad dermatitis for quite a while (a week or so) and if they aren't allergic it will just annoy them for a bit. 

We thought we had been using flea preventative meds but turned out Sentinel only covers the early stages and doesn't kill adult fleas. 

If your pup does ever have a flea problem or you think there is one you can use capstar and it kills all the fleas on them (it doesn't prevent though) 

Best to ask your vet's opinion though, could be something other than fleas. 

Good luck with your adorable pup! 

[Samantha113]

I stick to Comfortis and sometimes Brevecto, and we are satisfied. If you need it these days, here they offer Comfortis at the discounted price. When I saw busymum01 saying that she is looking for a quick question as a 'first time dog owner', I remembered me at my 'very beginnings'. I thought that I could avoid all the fleas and ticks treatments if I don't let my dog hang out a lot with other dogs and if I stick to well known trails etc. Of course, after a while, i faced with the flea issue -  what a surprise! :D

Than I discovered that they live almost everywhere and recently I read that "Outdoors, fleas prefer moist, shady, cool places. They especially like shrubs, leaves, and trees, and don’t fare well in sunny areas or open grass. By trimming back shrubs, raking out leaves, and, in effect, limiting the amount of areas where fleas thrive, you can help prevent infestations out of doors." so, yes, they do live almost everywhere :/

Edited March 9, 2018 by Samantha113